The first outer roughness can be taken off with the vibration tumbler. The Petoskey Stone is very soft, a hardness of 5, so you can't tumble it to a full polish. May 5, 2020 - Carved Lake Art's Petoskey Stone tumbler captures the beauty and detail of the Petoskey Stone in a decorative tumbler Each piece is unique. 1.5” Lon Fonts pictured are for if you would like your name (or Kathy Miling of MI wrote the following: “I have polished hundreds of Petoskey stones… leaving many of them the shape they are and some of the larger ones I slab and make cabs out of them. Click on photo for larger image. A vibratory tumbler attacks all surfaces of the stones equally because of its dual action: rotating and vibrating. The Best Rock Tumbler for Petoskey Stones The National Geographic Hobby Rock Tumbler comes with simple instructions that make this easy for even a novice to use. We sell rock tumblers and know a lot about them. $8.00 Michigan State Stone This interesting stone is a variety of calcite. No comments: Post a … This gorgeous Petoskey stone tumbler is sure to help keep you hydrated while youre out rock hunting! *Petoskey Stone* This interesting stone is a variety of Calcite. The coral lived in shallow waters and … Instructions for how we polish Fluorite, Petoskey Stone and other similar soft stones . But, if we had some nice Petoskey Stones we would grind them to shape and polish them to a bright luster using a lapidary machine. It was formed by the fossilization of ancient coral, Hexagonaria. These Petoskey stones may range from 2" to 2.5" across". How to Polish Petoskey stones in a Tumbler Posted by on-the-rocks at 9:07 AM. Petoskey stones are found in many beaches of Lake Michigan. These unique treasures can be elusive to first-time stone seekers, but the tips below can help get you on track to your first discovery! The Petoskey stone, Michigan’s state stone - and its lesser-known cousin, the Charlevoix stone – are unique to the Great Lakes and can be found along the shores of Michigan’s lower peninsula. How To Polish Petoskey Stones with a Tumbler Petoskey Stones are fossilized remains of a colonial coral that lived in the Michigan seas about 350 million years ago. I use 220 grit and just enough water to wet the rocks and tumble for between 8 to 12 hours, watching it closely and adding water as needed. This is especially effective on flat stones, such as slabs and cabs, but works well on rounded stones also. It is created with high quality fabric and epoxy coated. Petoskey Stones (Michigan) Lots of people want to polish their Petoskey Stones in a rock tumbler. It was formed by the fossilization of ancient coral, Hexagonaria. Petoskey Stones are relatively soft, with a Moh's hardness of 3 to 3-1/2, so tumble polishing them safely can be a little tricky; this guide can help. If you put a Petoskey stone in a vibrating tumbler (Lot-O-Tumbler) with 220 … Labels: Fossils, Great Lakes, Hobbies, Lapidary, Michigan, Rockhounding. The only draw-back is that the vibratory tumbler’s dual action does not round rough stones as well as a rotary tumbler. We did, however find that some people have used a 2 part epoxy to polish the stone. The coral lived in the shallow waters and today’s fossil often includes silt and mud. The tumbler barrel is made of tire rubber to reduce the noise and it has a leak-proof, stainless steel lid. Email This BlogThis! This tumbler is a 20 oz skinny double wall stainless steel with lid and straw. As it turns out, the Petoskey stone is a very soft stone and prone to breaking apart, therefore a rock tumbler may not be the best bet for shinning your stone. These instructions will work in both a rotary or vibrating tumbler. Photos are representative only. Share to Twitter Share to Facebook Share to Pinterest. Step 1 - Load the tumbler with the recommended amount of rough Fluorite, add 120-220 grit and run until shaped nicely.